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Aug. 14, 1928. 1,680,361

T. E. BEACH CULLET DUMP FOR LEERS Filed Dec. 19, 1927 m 67 fntgenior i m 5M Patented Aug. 14, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS E. BEACH, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOIR, TO HARTFORD-EMPIRE COMPANY, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE. i

CULLET DUMP FOR LEERS.

Application filed December 19, 192-7. Serial. No. 241,009.

This invention relates to leers for annealing articles of glassware,'and more particularly to a means associated with'theusual conveyor belt and sorting tableiof such a leer for perm'tting any cullet which. may find its way onto the return strand of the conveyor belt beneath the sorting table to be dumped into a suitable receptacleand prevent its fouling the belt guiding rolls.

In the operation of continuous leers, it has been found by experience that pieces of cullet get onto the return strand of the conveyor belt beneath the sorting table and, it not removed, get into the guiding rolls and tend to injure either them or the belt, or both.

I have found that this difiiculty may be overcome by a simple rearrangement of certain well known parts in a standard continuous leer. I have chosen to illustrate the application of my invention to a leer of the type shown in Patent No. 1,560,481, granted November 3, 1925 to the Hartford-Empire Company, assignee of Vergil Mulholland.

A further object of the invention is to simplify the applicationof my idea by incorporating it with the usual slack take-up mechanism, thus minimizing the cost of in corporat-ingthe improvement in constructing the improved leers.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from a reading of the following specification and subjo ned claims when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an elevation of the discharge end of a continuous leer and the sorting table associated therewith, having parts broken away and in section;

Fig. 2 is a sect-ion substantially on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1 and Fig. 3 is a section substantially on the line 33.in Fig. 1.

The leer comprises an elongate tunnel 1 having lower heating or cooling fiues 2 and upper cooling flues 3, means being provided at 4 for withdrawing the heating and cooling med a from the various fiues in the manner shown and described in the patent to Mulholland above referred to. An endless conveyor belt 5 preferably of flexible wire mesh c ond roll 12 and about a roll 13 suitably journaled in the side channel members 14 extending from the leer structure to the framework of the belt driving mechanism. From the roll 13 the belt passes rearwardly about the adjustable take-up roll 15 and thence beneath the leer tunnel to its receiving end.

The take-up roll 15 is provided with pinions or gear teeth 16 adjacent to each end engag- -1ng su1table. racks .17. to insure the proper positioning of the roll 15. Pins 18 are provided each of which may be engaged with any one oi a plurality of holes in the statiouarvfianges 19 to posit on the roll 15 as desired longitudinally of the leer, whereby the slack of the belt may betaken upj Beneath the forward loop of the return strand of the conveyor about roll 13, I provide a suitable receptacle or chute 20 which isadanted to receive any cullet which may have found its way onto the return strand of the belt between the driving mechanism 6 and the roll 13, thus preventing the fouling of any of the rolls about which the belt 5 passes, and also preventing injury to the belt by this cullet. As will be obvious, any cullet upon the return strand of the conveyor belt, prior to its passage over the roll 13, will be dumped into the receptacle or chute 20, and in the event that this is inclined to one side, as shown in Fig. 2, this cullet will. slide transversely of the conveyor to a harmless position at one side or into a suitable receptacle (not shown) as desired.

It will be seen that I have provided an arrangement of the belt take-up or tension device serving also as a cullet dump. thus minimizing the cost of construction of leers including my improvements and preventing iniury to the belt guid ng rolls by cullet.

While I have shown and described but one embodiment of my invention, it is obvious that certain modifications might be made therein without departing from the spir t thereof, as set forth in the appended claims,

which are to be construed as broadly as'the state of the prior art permits,

I claim:

1. The combination with an elongate tunnel leer for annealing glassware, an endless flexible belt for conveying the ware therethrough, an open ware cooling and sorting table over whch said belt travels, and driving means for said belt, of an S-turn in the return strand of said belt beneath said sorting table, the upper loop of the 8 being directed toward the direction of motion of said strand, and a receptacle'for catching any cullet dumped from said strand locate beneath said upper loop.

' 2. The combination with an elongate tunnel leer for annealing glassware, an endless flexible belt for conveying the ware therethrough, an open ware cooling and sorting table over which said belt travels, and driving means for said belt, of a pair of belt engaging rollers longitudinally and laterally spaced from one another beneath said sorting table, the return strand of said belt being adapted to pass forwardly over the upper of said rollers, then rearwardly about the lower of said rollers, and finally forwardly toward the receiving end of said leer, and a receipt taele located substantially beneath said upper roller in position to catch any cullet dumped from the return strand of said belt.

3. The combination with an elongate'tunnel leer for annealing glassware, an endless flexible belt for conveying the ware therethrough, an openware cooling and sorting table over which said belt travels, and driving means for said belt, of a pair of belt engaging rollers longitudinally and laterally spaced from one another beneath said sorting up the slack of sa d belt, and a receptacle located substantially beneath said upper roller in position to catch any cullet dumped from the return strand of said belt.

4. The-combination with an elongate tunnel leer for annealing articles of glassware, an endless flexible belt of woven wire fabric for cenveying the ware therethrough, an

open ware cooling and sorting table composed of a plurality of longitudinally spaced 7 transversely extending rolls supporting said belt. and driving means for drawing said belt through the tunnel and over said'table, of a pair of belt engaging rollers longitudinally and laterally spaced from one another he neath said sorting table, the return strand of said belt being adapted to pass forwardly over the upper of said rollers, then rearwardly about the lower of said rollers, and finally forwardly toward the receiving end of said leer, the position ofsaid lower roller being adjustable longitudinally of the leer, whereby to adjust and take up the slack of said belt, and a transversely inclined chute located substantially beneath said upper roller in position to catch any cullet dumped from the return strand of said belt, whereby to prevent the foulingof the belt engaging rolls. i

Signed at Baltimore this 12th day of December, 1927.

THOMAS E. BEACH. 

